Luxury train that ran from Paris to Constantinople (Istanbul) for over 80 years (1883–1977).
Developed by the Belgian businessman Georges Nagelmackers, its luxuriously furnished cars became the symbol of glamour for European society. Europe's first transcontinental express train, it covered over 1,700 mi (2,740 km); after 1919 the route extended from Calais and Paris to Lausanne and via the Simplon Pass to Milan, Venice, Zagreb, and beyond. Service was suspended during both world wars. Discontinued in 1977, it was revived in 1982 to run between London and Venice as the "Venice Simplon Orient Express."